Tongue Tied
by Wingless Hymn
Summary: Throughout his time alone at the dojo, Kenshin realizes something nearly all his enemies share in common... and decides to try it for himself. One-shot.


**Title: **Tongue Tied

**Rated: **G

**Genre: **Humor

**Pairings: **Ken/Kao

**Summary: **Throughout his time alone at the dojo, Kenshin realizes something nearly all his enemies share in common... and decides to try it for himself. One-shot.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, I'd probably be the happiest writer alive. T.T

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Kenshin unsheathed the sakabatou with a steady hand. He sat in his room, alone at the dojo, with only himself and his sword for company. Kaoru had taken her leave almost the moment she woke up. She told Kenshin that she was off to the Maekawa Dojo to help in training the students.

"I'll be back by lunchtime!" Kaoru had assured him, adding a smile.

Yahiko and Sanosuke both had went to town, the young boy going to work at the Akabeko and the ex-gangster heading to the gambling hall to try his luck. They gave the surprised rurouni the same promise as Kaoru had. Now, Kenshin was the only occupant left at the dojo. With the laundry hanging to dry, everything laid out in the kitchen for the lunch preperations and the floors cleaned spotless, he had all the time in the world to do as he pleased.

Instead, however, Kenshin decided to spend his time doing the unthinkable. The idea came to mind after taking his sakabatou from the box in the corner of his room earlier that morning. Kenshin instantly recalled memories of his enemies, the sinister narrow of their eyes... the twisted smirks that grew on their faces... the way they seemed to lick the blade of their sword.

He blinked as the thought passed in his mind. "Oro?" Kenshin had no clue how the images of his enemies sparked such a bizarre idea, let alone the reason behind thinking of his enemies in the first place.

He shook himself. "Sessha must be going crazy again, de gozaru yo," he muttered. "It is quieter around here than what I am use to."

Still, what was it about the jagged steel blade that men thought was necessary to lick it? Surely they looked more disgusting than evil if that was what they were aiming for. Kenshin knew he would not be able to rest until he figured it out.

And so, the events of his contemplation led the redhead to this.

Faded light rays captured upon the sakabatou as it drawed out of its sheath. Kenshin exposed only a part of the reversed blade, merely requiring a little of it for his theory.

Slow and cautioned, he ran his tongue on the blade. Kenshin felt stupid rather than menacing.

He sweatdropped. "Owo," he sighed in a muffled breath, tongue still pressed to the sakabatou. Suddenly, a piercing pain stabbed in Kenshin's muscle, causing him to wince and wrench away from his sakabatou.

"Ouch!"

Kenshin noticed a smudge of blood on the sharp edge and realized he had cut his own tongue. _What a wise move, de gozaru yo, _he thought in bitter disdain. Holding the tip of his tongue, Kenshin tasted the metalic warm scarlet as it left the fresh cut and gagged a bit.

_Sessha should ignore his own thoughts for now on... _Now Kenshin needed something to stop the bleeding.

Sooner than he anticipated, the blue eyed Kamiya Kasshin Ryu intructer returned home just as he left his room in search of a cloth. When Kaoru caught him in the hall with his bleeding tongue between his fingers, her bokken clattered to the floor and she rushed to see if he was alright. "Kenshin! What happened? Are you okay?"

Kenshin's violet eyes wandered to the fretting young woman and he waved his free hand hastily in response, edging further away from the approaching Kaoru. "Sesa ish fine, duh guhzowo yo! Therw ish no need to wowwy Kaowu-dono."

Kaoru caught the retreating rurouni by the sleeve of his gi and clamped onto it without letting her grip loosen. She frowned at him. "I can't understand a word you just said!" She exclaimed hotly. Kenshin squeaked out a barely audible, "Owo?" and his eyes bugged out like round orbs.

Firmly, she dragged the redhead in the opposite direction of where he was heading, saying, "Kenshin, you're such a baka! I leave the dojo for an hour and you are already injuring yourself somehow. When I treat that _wound _of yours, I expect you to tell me exactly how that happened."

Thus, a very irritated Kaoru fixed Kenshin up with a moist cloth he was to place on the cut. Sanosuke and Yahiko arrived shortly after, questioning gazes peeking through the crack of the shoji but refusing to ask what had happened due to the fact that a fuming tanuki would have their heads bashed through the floorboards without second thoughts.

When the redhead was able to speak again, he explained to the young woman -much to his shame and humiliation- about what he did to end up with a sliced-open tongue. As expected, Kenshin blushed faintly as the finish of his account resulted in Kaoru's laughter ringing through the interior of the room.

He bowed his head to hide his increasing red face. Kaoru became concious of it and ceased her laughter immediatly. She tried to conceal an amused grin at seeing the sight of her rurouni. She had never seen Kenshin looking more embarrassed than she did now.

Guilt clouded her heart. _Was it really that bad to tell me about? _wondered Kaoru.

A heartbeat later, a small slender hand found and laid across Kenshin's shoulder. Snapping his firery head up, Kenshin caught the sapphire eyes of Kaoru staring back into his. She murmured an apology.

"Gomen nasai Kenshin. I was wrong to assume that it was funny when you felt the opposite-"

"Iie Kaoru-dono, sessha apologizes for making such a stupid mistake." Kenshin grasped her hand tightly, receiving comfort from her touch. Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, but the rurouni did not allow for her to do so.

He chuckled and smiled at her. "Iie... sessha is truly a baka, de gozaru yo."

"Hai," Kaoru agreed.

She smiled and cupped his scarred cheek in the palm of her hand. Kenshin jumped, startled from the contact but regaining composure before long and stretched his violet eyes in puzzlement. Kaoru leaned in, moving away overhanging ginger bangs and brushing her lips across the center of his forehead.

Then, in a whisper, she added, "-but you are _my _baka Kenshin. And no force in this world would make me trade that for anything more."

_Owari_

**Author's Note**: Arigatou for reading my story! :D I hope you found this to your liking. I'd greatly appreciate the feedback on your thoughts.

Yours Truly,

_~Wingless Hymn_


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